St. Johns County's homeless population continues to climb

PHOTOILLUSTRATION BY DARON.DEAN@STAUGUSTINE.COM St. Johns County has homeless students in every school in the district. Twenty-four percent of all students are on free and reduced meals.

BY DARON.DEAN@STAUGUSTINE.COM There are currently about 450 homeless students in St. Johns County schools. District officials expect this number to exceed last years total of 684 by the end of the school year.

» Total expected to pass 684 by the end of the school year

Almost 450 students in St. Johns County schools are classified as homeless and by the end of the year that number is expected to pass last year’s total of 684.

“Homeless” doesn’t necessarily mean someone is living in the woods, although some of these kids may be.

The majority — almost 70 percent — are sharing housing because of the loss of their former residence. Only about two dozen are listed as living in cars, parks, etc. Others live in emergency shelters, in hotels and motels or with others.

“I think people don’t realize about homeless students. When we tell them the number, they’re shocked. When we tell them they’re in every school, they’re even more shocked,” said Joann Johnson, who is family services coordinator for the district. “They don’t expect homeless students to be at Ponte Vedra High, Creekside, Bartram Trail.”

But the students are there, and the district has gotten better at spotting them and letting them and their parents or guardians know help is available. That’s because of a program known as ASSIST, or Aid and Support for Students in Sudden Transition.

“There isn’t really a stereotype for being homeless,” said Chris Stone, the program’s homeless liaison.

Help became available during the last decade with the passing of No Child Left Behind and then the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. The act defines homeless children and youths as “individuals who lack a fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence” because of economic hardship or similar reasons.

One percent of school population

The St. Johns County School District has about 33,600 students, so the homeless population overall makes up just over one percent of the school population.

Johnson doesn’t think homeless students are anything new.

“I think they were there, they just didn’t know about services,” she said.

In 2006, Johnson was put in charge of the program and by the numbers the district didn’t have enough homeless to qualify for the available grant. After a push to identify homeless students, the district qualified. They’ve seen an ongoing increase in the numbers since 2007-08.

Things are toughest for the students, usually in high school, who are classified as unaccompanied youth.

“Unaccompanied youth are usually the older ones, high schoolers. Their challenge is if they’re under 18 and not living with parents, there’s no one to enroll them, to sign off on field trips or events or if they needed to get medical treatment,” Johnson said. “Those are the ones really in a bind. … They’re living off someone, living pillar to post or just trying living on their own — trying to work, go to school, trying to be an adult.”

New homeless count conducted each year

As the homeless population has gone up so have enrollment numbers for the district. “You have to take that into account,” Stone said.

Each year the count starts anew.

“It keeps us more accurate to reassess,” said Stone. “If you just roll it over, you have some who were not eligible.”

When the Haiti earthquake struck, the district found itself serving a number of homeless children from that country. Others came into the system after Hurricane Katrina. Those were temporary, while others may stay longer.

“People’s situations do change,” agreed Johnson.

In some cases help needed may just be finding a new place to live. In other cases, the help needed is more complicated and ongoing.

A variety of referrals and services are available through ASSIST including free breakfast/lunch, transportation, backpacks and school supplies, bus tokens, summer camp, emergency funding, books, PE uniforms, college preparation tutoring, mentoring program, dental, mental and physical, food and case management.

Students counted as homeless typically are also on free and reduced breakfast and lunch programs. They have plenty of company there since about 24 percent of the district’s children qualify.

Finding help for the homeless program

The district uses grants and donations to help run the homeless program. By using the 501c(3) status of the St. Johns County Education Foundation, those donations can be received and then spread around for various needs.

Getting the word out to the community makes a difference, said Johnson, who speaks to area clubs and groups.

“Oh my goodness, it’s exciting to see,” she said, adding once they know about the problem people step up as mentors or give donations.